As the first mechanical policeman reaches his feet again, Nelson lunges after its fallen comrade. His two-by-four is discarded as he leaps on top of the fallen Watch Man, clenching the spinning key in both hands and twisting. There's the sound of grinding gears for a moment, and then the Watch Man becomes still, his metallic arms clattering loudly as they fall against the pavement.

Then two things happen almost at once.

Just barely ahead of the second is the piercing sound of a whistle. The Watch Man that just fought its way upright again, rather than lunging after Nelson, instead drew one from the inside of its metallic coat. As Nelson spins, he hears the beginnings of a second blast -

- and then the second thing happens, and he feels the world lurch sharply again, along with a renewed burst of agony in the side of his head. The standing Watch Man that he had ignored to go after the downed one has taken advantage of his distraction to strike him powerfully with its club. Nelson sprawls limply across the pavement, all sense of coordination lost.

The next thing he's aware of is the sound of approaching boots - and the sudden increase in the sound of ticking around him.

"Well, now," says a strangely metallic, rhythmical voice from just overhead. "What have we here? Another accomplice, it seems."

QUOTE

This is why combat in DRYH is almost always a bad idea - even if you succeed in disabling one opponent, if Exhaustion, Madness, or Pain dominates, things can continue to spiral out of control. In this instance, Nelson took a nasty blow to the head and the Watch Men have called in reinforcements.

Don't worry - I'm not about to take you out of the game at this point, but things are looking quite grim for Nelson, and it's very likely that he will be arrested from here - or that, under the stress, his Madness Talent might manifest and provide him with a way out of some sort.

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

MY GAMES:The Assembly of Rats-Darren Protsman wakes up in a prison, after trying to assassinate a Rat. We are in Act 2(there's a recap if you want to try jumping in). He has since escaped the prison and is in a castle.Day In The Life-You are the Slender Man, currently on a quest to retrieve the little girls you owe The Wooden Girl.

OTHER:Birdy Reads!-I read some blogs and stuff. Currently working on the Rapture Logs.My Youtube Channel-Birdy Reads, Useless Stuff, Maybe Some Let's Plays

Nelson forces his eyes open and turns his head to look upward, towards the sound of the voice. It doesn't take long to discern the speaker, even in the dark.

Someone is standing over him. No. Not standing. Towering. This figure, despite its policeman's uniform, is nearly two feet taller than the Watch Men - taller than any human should ever be. The sound of clockwork emanating from its body is nearly deafening - and it doesn't take much to discern why.

Instead of a head, a gleaming brass clock sits on top of the looming figure's shoulders.

The lower half of the clock face has been removed, exposing the gears inside. It's their whirring and clicking in unison that produces the metallic, booming "voice" that Nelson heard a moment ago. This time, it says "Cuff him, boys. I've got some questions to ask this one."

One of the Watch Men - there are more of them now, at least six in total, with no sign of where they came from - leans down and grabs Nelson roughly by the wrist. His arm gives a shriek of pain in protest as it's twisted around behind his back, and one half of a set of handcuffs slaps down onto his wrist. There's another click, but Nelson's left hand remains free - the Watch Man has cuffed him to itself.

A second later, Nelson is forced roughly upright again. The world spins crazily with the aftershocks of the club to the side of his head. Combined with the slow spinning of the clock hands on the face of the clockwork man in front of him, Nelson can barely keep his feet. A moment later, the thing shoves an old-fashioned wanted poster in front of Nelson's face. In the dark, the features of the man pictured are impossible to make out, but the name reads JOHN ROBERTSON.

"Have you seen this man?" barks the leader.

QUOTE

For future reference, this larger Watch Man is Officer Tock, a full-fledged Nightmare. Nelson doesn't know this, of course, but in future I'll be referring to him by name to make things easier.

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

MY GAMES:The Assembly of Rats-Darren Protsman wakes up in a prison, after trying to assassinate a Rat. We are in Act 2(there's a recap if you want to try jumping in). He has since escaped the prison and is in a castle.Day In The Life-You are the Slender Man, currently on a quest to retrieve the little girls you owe The Wooden Girl.

OTHER:Birdy Reads!-I read some blogs and stuff. Currently working on the Rapture Logs.My Youtube Channel-Birdy Reads, Useless Stuff, Maybe Some Let's Plays

"Oh-ho," booms Officer Tock, sounding satisfied. "So you were waiting here to cover his escape, were you? Don't bother trying to hide it. I can tell."

The picture is pulled away and stowed inside an inner pocket of its uniform. But when the hand holding it comes out again, it isn't empty. It has something large and menacing in its grip. At first, you think it's a club. Then you realize that it's a large, ornate, iron-wrought clock hand - and the tip is heavily stained with dried blood.

Officer Tock weighs it in his hand for a moment, then says, "So this is how this is going to work. I know your friend is trying to get out of the City. He's got precisely twenty-four minutes and twelve seconds to do it before the clock strikes thirteen, because then he's mine. I know he's got more than one escape route planned, but I've got all the ones I know about blocked off."

The blood-stained, pointed end of that clock hand jabs Nelson in the ribs, hard. Even that gently it knocks the wind out of him. Finding out what it feels like when there's actual malice behind it would be a very bad idea. [b]"So you and I," rumbles Officer Tock, "are going to head back into the City. And you're going to lead me to whatever secret back ways he's told you about. Find me Robertson."

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

Nelson realizes that he may have made a horrible mistake, but this doesn't strike him as the kind of man who liked to find out he'd been lied to. He tries not to let the fear of the situation overtake him. "Sure, I'll lead you to Robertson. Take me back to the city and we can check his secret places."

MY GAMES:The Assembly of Rats-Darren Protsman wakes up in a prison, after trying to assassinate a Rat. We are in Act 2(there's a recap if you want to try jumping in). He has since escaped the prison and is in a castle.Day In The Life-You are the Slender Man, currently on a quest to retrieve the little girls you owe The Wooden Girl.

OTHER:Birdy Reads!-I read some blogs and stuff. Currently working on the Rapture Logs.My Youtube Channel-Birdy Reads, Useless Stuff, Maybe Some Let's Plays

"That's good," rumbles Officer Tock, turning away from Nelson. The clock-hand club is, mercifully, concealed inside his jacket once again. "That's what I like to hear. Everything quick and by the book. As much as I might enjoy the rest of my work, we simply don't have time for that right now."

He lifts a hand and motions for the Watch Men to follow him as he sets off towards the rear of the alley again. They lurch into motion in his wake, dragging Nelson along in their midst. He's surrounded by clanking, whirring policemen, with the looming, brutish shape of Officer Tock leading the way.

"So tell me," Tock continues, as a door comes into view - a sky-blue door set into the back of an apartment building that's been shut down for at least twenty years, but looks brand-new - and he begins leading the Watch towards it. "What's our first stop? And believe me, every second you waste by feeding us false information is going to be one that comes back on you very soon."

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

Nelson doesn't even know where he is, so the best he can do is give basic directions to the Officer, and try to sound confident about it while doing so. "So, what you want to do, is make a right, and then we're going to keep going straight for a bit. Then there's a left turn, I will tell you when to make it, and we'll take that. Got it, Officer?"

MY GAMES:The Assembly of Rats-Darren Protsman wakes up in a prison, after trying to assassinate a Rat. We are in Act 2(there's a recap if you want to try jumping in). He has since escaped the prison and is in a castle.Day In The Life-You are the Slender Man, currently on a quest to retrieve the little girls you owe The Wooden Girl.

OTHER:Birdy Reads!-I read some blogs and stuff. Currently working on the Rapture Logs.My Youtube Channel-Birdy Reads, Useless Stuff, Maybe Some Let's Plays

Nelson doesn't even know where he is, so the best he can do is give basic directions to the Officer, and try to sound confident about it while doing so. "So, what you want to do, is make a right, and then we're going to keep going straight for a bit. Then there's a left turn, I will tell you when to make it, and we'll take that. Got it, Officer?"

"Really now?"

Tock's voice is a purr of maliciousness. Suddenly, without his hand ever quite moving, the ornate club is back in his hand.

"So tell me," he says, very slowly, as his free hand comes to rest on the handle to the blue door, "how you know where we're coming out."

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

MY GAMES:The Assembly of Rats-Darren Protsman wakes up in a prison, after trying to assassinate a Rat. We are in Act 2(there's a recap if you want to try jumping in). He has since escaped the prison and is in a castle.Day In The Life-You are the Slender Man, currently on a quest to retrieve the little girls you owe The Wooden Girl.

OTHER:Birdy Reads!-I read some blogs and stuff. Currently working on the Rapture Logs.My Youtube Channel-Birdy Reads, Useless Stuff, Maybe Some Let's Plays

"Every second wasted," Officer Tock warns again, "is another second in District Thirteen. Remember that."

And then he opens the door.

Instead of the inside of the apartment building, it's another alleyway. But this one is lit by a flickering orange glow, as if a torch is burning just out of sight. And instead of the clean brick and plywood of Nelson's hometown, it's crumbling mortar and granite, with a high, arched window just across the alleyway, as if the door has led to the outside of a cathedral.

"Care to change your directions?"

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN? - Death, in Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man

Before Nelson gets the chance to answer, the sound of a whistle blasts out from the door open in front of Officer Tock. The monster raises the bloodied club over his head, points into the door with his free hand, and shouts "After him, boys!"

Nelson is suddenly pulled forward as the mass of Watch Men presses forward, through the doorway and into the city before him.